Believe It Or Not, the Bulls Turned Down More Second-Round Picks at the Deadline

Even Bryson Graham couldn't help himself when he sat down for his introductory press conference. The Chicago Bulls' new lead executive was listing all the resources he had to rebuild the team, only to let out a slight chuckle when mentioning the team's bevy of second-round picks.

While it didn't necessarily feel like a slight to the previous front office, it was another moment that made Graham all the more relatable. Fans in real time were shaken by the sheer number of second-rounders that Arturas Karnisovas' regime started to consume. Three for Coby White (before giving one back), four for Ayo Dosunmu, and one that sits a solid 38th in this year's draft for Nikola Vucevic.

Overall, the Bulls bumped their arsenal up to a whopping 13 total second-round picks. And, believe it or not, Karnisovas almost left Graham with even more!

Chicago Bulls Turned Down More Seconds

Sep 29, 2025; Chicago, IL, USA; Chicago Bulls Arturas Karnisovas, executive vice president of basketball operations talks to the press on Media Day. Mandatory Credit: David Banks-Imagn Images | David Banks-Imagn Images

According to Adam Aaronson of Philly Voice, the Philadelphia 76ers did call up the Chicago Bulls at the latest trade deadline. The recently fired Daryl Morey reportedly wanted to get his hands on one of Chicago's big men, and he put multiple picks on the table:

"The Sixers, the source said, offered the Chicago Bulls multiple second-round picks for reserve big man Jalen Smith; Chicago held onto him."

To be honest, I think we're all somewhat surprised that Arturas Karnisovas resisted. The former lead decision-maker seemed pretty darn committed to blowing things up, so why he stopped at Smith is a worthwhile question. This is particularly true when we consider the big man had been dealing with a calf issue all season long. Plus, Karnisovas went out and grabbed two more veteran big men to eat up post-trade-deadline minutes anyway.

At the same time, essentially everyone Karnisovas traded was on an expiring deal. Smith is still under contract for the 2026-27 campaign at a reasonable $9.4 million price tag. Also, despite the injury trouble, he did put together arguably the best season of his six-year-long career. There is a case to make that moving him for merely a couple of additional second-rounders may have actually been selling somewhat low.

Smith averaged 10.2 points and 6.7 rebounds in only 20.7 minutes of action a night. He also looked rejuvenated as a floor-spacer, knocking down 37.3 percent of his career-high 4.2 attempts a night. Smith played so well during the middle of the year that Billy Donovan even started to find more room for him in the rotation. The head coach not only began to play him at the four, but he even started to throw him into some jumbo starting lineups.

Smith was long considered someone capable of playing both frontcourt spots, though it became more of a theory over his first handful of NBA seasons than an actuality. To his credit, he finally looked capable of holding his own at the four this year. One has to imagine that versatility went a long way toward convincing the previous braintrust to keep him around. Will it be enough to convince Bryson Graham that he belongs, though?

For what it's worth, Smith does feel like a player who fits with his S.L.A.P principle. At 26 years old, he's also someone who could still fit into the organization's rebuilding timeline. But let's not forget that Smith is now headed toward unrestricted free agency in 2027. If Graham isn't sold on making the big man a key part of the future – especially with someone like Cameron Boozer or Caleb Wilson entering the mix soon – Smith's name will almost surely be on the trade block again soon.

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